Posted by Alicia Leeds on Mon, Jun 04, 2012 @ 11:07 AM
New York's mayor, Michael Bloomberg, has created quite the buzz with his proposal to regulate the size of sugary drinks available for consumption in certain markets in the city. The ban would prohibit the sale of sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces.
Opponents to the ban say this limits personal freedom and creates a nanny state. Proponents say this is a step in the right direction.
In other New York news, the space shuttle rode on a barge under the Verrazano bridge at the lower end of Manhattan yesterday. People gathered along the shore to watch and take photos. A reporter interviewed several people at the scene, including two young brothers, one of whom shared his aspiration to be an astronaut. He looked to be a pretty typical nine year old, smiling for the camera.
The little boy is obese. His brother is also obese. His father is obese, too.
This little boy has a 1 in 3 chance of developing diabetes. His childhood obesity puts him at very high risk of being an obese adult. There's a good chance he will be plagued by chronic disease, atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cancer, arthritis, sleep apnea, and joint pains. He will likely die at an earlier age than his father.
Very few little boys will grow up to be astronauts, and that's not entirely dependent on their body weight as nine year olds. But consider this young boy with a universe of possibility whose potential will be limited if he has a lifetime of chronic disease to manage. Chances are he won't be an astronaut, or a baseball player, policeman, fireman, or soldier, either.
The responsibilities of the mayor of New York do not include monitoring how much Coca Cola this family consumes on any given Sunday afternoon. But they do include providing a clean place to live with a functioning health care system, maintaining streets and public transportation, and insuring public safety. So consider this:
In a time when 70% of Americans and 60% of New Yorkers are overweight and obese, when 30% of our children are overweight and obese... who will be fit enough to do the work of our cities? Who is going to put out the fires, patrol our streets, clean our parks and build our houses?
In a time when the costs of obesity are measured in the billions of dollars annually and no state has reversed the increasing numbers of obese citizens... Who is going to be healthy enough to work to pay the bills?
In an economy where corporate profits are dollars earned by making people sick and treating their illness... where relentless junk food marketing to children has contributed to the highest childhood obesity rate in human history... where governments act in accord with big industry, subsidizing our consumption of processed foods and meats... Who will take a stand for common good in the absence of common sense?
Is the answer Nanny Bloomberg? I'm not sure how much this will change things. I'm not sure any government is up to the job. A nanny is charged with a child's well being when parents have other priorities. But when it comes to caring for our children's health - we send them out alone and leave a key under the mat. When it comes to our children's health, someone has to be there. So if a nine year old New Yorker goes to the movies and it takes a law to stand between him and a 32 ounce, 364 calorie soda, I 'm all for it.
Posted by Alicia Leeds on Thu, Mar 08, 2012 @ 02:29 PM
If you are one of the millions of people advised by your MD that the only way to lower your cholesterol is to be on medications, you need to read this letter I received from my Personal Coaching client, Fabulous in Florida.
Dear Alicia,
I just got some news that I wanted to share with you.
I have had high cholesterol my entire life. It's partially heriditary, so even as a 105 lb teen in college, my cholesterol was 230. This time last year it was up to 284, my highest ever - - and that was after joining a gym, losing a little weight, and trying to eat better. So last year, my doctor and I were pondering whether now was the time to give up and go on medication, as hereditary cholesterol like mine can be hard to lower with diet alone.
I told him I wanted to take one more shot at it before I gave in.
After 6 weeks on the diet* I had a blood test Monday. I'm completely astounded to report that my cholesterol is down to 204! That's the lowest it's EVER been! And a huge decrease from last year! Still slightly high, but I'll take it!
Even when I did the HMR shakes only in-clinic diet, it went down but didn't get this low. So I have to attribute this wonderful news to the increased intake of fruits and vegetables. I always have liked fruits/veggies and probably ate 3 servings per day prior to the diet. Doubling to 6 servings seems to be doing some miraculous things!
Big THANKS Alicia!
Sincerely, Fabulous in FLA
* Fab in FLA is enrolled in Small Group Personal Coaching and following a diet that includes HMR shakes and tons of veggies and fruits!
Alicia Leeds Meyers is a Personal Healthy Lifestyle Coach who walks the talk and helps her clients uncover their path to a healthy lifestyle.
Posted by Monica Bautista on Fri, Feb 24, 2012 @ 04:20 PM
Banana splits....they remind me of summertime on Cape Cod. After a day at the beach, we would go out to get ice cream at the local ice cream shop...banana splits were always a favorite! Now that I am older (and wiser), I don't indulge in banana splits like I did as a kid. But, this recipe will make you feel like a kid again...and keep you on track with your weight loss goals!
Banana Split Shake Recipe (recipe from Facebook/HMR Diet)
You will need:
- 1 packet HMR 70+ Vanilla (or 120, 500 or 800)
- 1 packet HMR 70+ Chocolate (or 120, 500 or 800)
- 1 banana
- 1 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1 cup pineapple
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup ice
Directions:
Pour water in blender. Add shake mixes and blend. Add fruit and blend. Add ice and blend to desired consistency. If shake is too thick, add a little water until you reach desired consistency. If using frozen fruit, you may not need as much ice.
Bon Apetit!
Order your HMR Shakes now
Posted by Alicia Leeds on Tue, Feb 07, 2012 @ 02:54 PM
The food industry has one interest - Selling food-like products for a huge profit.
The myth that eating healthy is more expensive that eating junk food is disproven again and again by health advocates who focus on the long term cost of eating a poor diet, by environmentalists who focus on energy overconsumption and pollution, and by foodies who focus on the value of eating delicious, real food instead of lab created, food facsimiles.
The food industry does not want you to think about it too much, but I do.
Here's a quick look at just one way the food industry takes a simple, healthy and delicious food, adds sugar, fat, salt, artificial flavors and plastic packaging, spends millions of dollars advertising, and sells it back to us as highly addictive Junk.
This is an edited version of a chart published in a wonderful book by Marion Nestle called What to Eat:
The Shelf Price of Potatoes, Raw and Processed, Key Foods Market, New York City 2004
POTATO TYPE - PRICE PER POUND
Idaho, Raw .79
Del Monte, Canned 1.42
Pillsbury Mashed (box) 3.01
Lays Chips 4.77
Lays Ruffles 6.37
Terra Yukon Gold Chips 10.21
This chart shows that as the level of processing increases, the price goes up. And, in the case of the gourmet chips, we pay a high price for the branding and marketing.
Lets break it down dollar for dollar...
For a buck you can buy 20.4 oz raw, healthy, nutritionally sound Idaho potatoes. When you bake, roast, mash, wedge, boil, micro or otherwise prepare a pound and a quarter of potatoes it adds a lot to a family meal...
Or... with your dollar, you can buy half that amount of potatoes in a can, or about a quarter of that amount in mashed flakes. For a buck you could get a 3 oz bag of regular chips - or splurge on the gourmet variety and take home 1.57 oz.
Hmmm - lets see. Go to the farmers market and buy a potato from the guy who grew it and go home wash, chop, spice, cook, eat. (My favorite - potato wedges!)
Or... get a bag of "convenience food" chips which means... someone else bought the potato stripped it of nutrients, added fat and salt and preservatives, produced packaging materials using plastics, inks and dyes, used trucks and fuel to ship and carry, used boxes to distribute and store, and then all that packaging gets thrown away (away? where is away?) somewhere and spends years decomposing in a landfill. You get extra fat and salt and calories - and you get to pay 5-10 times the price.
Hmmm.
Your Choice. Choose Well.
Alicia Leeds Meyers is a Personal Healthy Lifestyle Coach who walks the talk and helps her clients uncover their path to a healthy lifestyle.
Posted by Alicia Leeds on Mon, Jan 30, 2012 @ 02:48 PM
As a Personal Healthy Lifestyle Coach, I did not take offense when a new client said she'd heard a rumor going around about me that I was the woman who made people eat more fruits and veggies. Of all the things to be in this world, being a produce pusher is fine by me...
Last night I took a photo of my dinner to share with you all.
Super star - sweet potatoes are here on the right, peeled, cut into wedges, lightly misted with olive oil, sprinkled with cinnamon and roasted until tender at 450.
My newest delight - Alicia's "Steamer Casserole" on the left. In a large soup pot, sautee onions in 1/4 cup veggie broth, add chopped sweet orange peppers (or carrots) and stir. Then layer green beans, sliced ginger root, broccoli and kale (or swiss chard). Cover. Let the steam from the veggie broth cook through to the greens on top.
You can add variety and create your own blend. Try adding cubed tofu on top of the greens and sprinkle a little soy sauce before serving with brown rice or quinoa or roasted baby white potatoes. The possibilities are endless.
And just when I thought I had cornered the market on how to create vege variety in a snap - I get this photo from one of my healthiest and adventurous clients who said she thought of me when she put these in the oven... awww. I m flattered!
Can you guess how many veggies are in this dish? Do you have ideas to share?
Bon Apetit!
Alicia Leeds Meyers is a personal coach who walks the talk and helps her clients uncover their own path to a healthy lifestyle.
Posted by Monica Bautista on Fri, Oct 28, 2011 @ 07:21 AM
Here is a healthy, delicious, and fun meal that you can prepare in just minutes. Double or triple the recipe if you will be making it for others to share as well.
You will need:
- 1 HMR Mushroom Risotto Entree
- 1/2 cup red and green peppers, diced
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 1/2 cup water chestnuts, diced
- 1 TB low sodium soy sauce
- 1 TB PB2 powder
- 4 iceberg lettuce leaves, washed
Directions:
Spray saute pan with cooking spray. Saute peppers and onion until tender. Add Mushroom Risotto entree and water chestnuts and cook until warm. Stir soy sauce and PB2 powder together. Add soy sauce mixture to entree and veggies and mix thoroughly. Remove from heat and spoon mixture into lettuce leaves and roll.
Bon Apetit!
Order your HMR entrees and PB2 now!
Posted by Alicia Leeds on Thu, Oct 27, 2011 @ 07:57 AM
Why do people gain their weight back? Good Question. But what we really need to know is how people keep their weight off.
Researchers are trying to pinpoint the risk factors in those individuals who are predisposed to regaining weight. Their findings suggest that several years of successful weight maintenance increase the probability of future weight maintenance and that weight regain is due at least in part to failure to maintain behavior changes.
That makes sense. After all, in order to lose weight, behavior changes must result in an overall decrease in calories in and a corresponding increase in calories out. Eating a low fat diet of more fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins and taking more steps each day are simple ways to accomplish a shift in the calorie equation, but these changes can be difficult to sustain.
Even among people who have had bariatric surgery - lap bands, and gastric bypass, the long term outcomes vary widely.
So how do you sustain the changes long enough to increase the probability of future weight maintenance? New research pointing to the effectiveness of personalized lifestyle intervention is promising.
A recent 3 year study found that post operative bariatric surgery patients had significantly better weight loss outcomes with long term behavioral intervention focused on eating behavior and physical activity.
In this study, a patient-centered collaborative approach was used, along with behavior modification techniques, such as self-monitoring, self-evaluation, goal setting, reinforcement, stimulus control, and relapse prevention. Patients had the opportunity to discuss their own thoughts on food intake and physical activity.
The results suggest that the implementation of a lifestyle intervention can potentially result in greater decreases in both external and restraint eating patterns, increased physical activity and healthier dietary patterns at 3 years postoperatively. The ultimate outcome is improved weight loss and maintenance.
Lifestyle Intervention is Personal Coaching.
A coach can help you stay accountable, making it easier to get back on track when your old habits start to creep in again. A coach can help you prevent a high calorie day from becoming a high calorie month. A coach can help you shift your perception over time, so that the new behaviors you practice to lose weight become your routine, and so that you see yourself clearly as a healthier person, not just someone on a diet again.
When you are ready to commit to building a healthier lifestyle and not just going for another quick fix - Schedule Your Appointment for Success.
Alicia Leeds Meyers is a Personal Coach who walks the talk and helps her clients discover their unique path to a healthier lifestyle,
Posted by Alicia Leeds on Wed, Oct 12, 2011 @ 02:15 PM
Like everyone else, once in a while I put on a few pounds. Then I have to work a little harder at the basics to get back to my "fighting weight". This time, the key to my success was very simple - getting back to my Food Records, making plans, and writing down exactly everything I put in my mouth.
Went to the MD today and alas! Like Magic! The weight has come off!
Records are not glamorous. Unlike the Magic Weight Loss cures you see in magazines or on TV, I am not posing in the apartment in a bikini, my skin glistening with baby oil... In fact, you'll find me in my record book at my absolutely least glamorous, in the morning with coffee in my PJ's and with cold cream on my face before bed. (kidding about the cold cream but I thought you'd get a kick out of this old photo of me at an HMR conference!)
Records are just another task on the to do list. Laundry, grocery shop, feed the dog, keep food records. Ho Hum.
But... I will tell you all, as I tell my Personal Coaching clients - when you are ready to get serious about losing weight - your food records are the place to start.
Bringing serious awareness to anything we do will cause a shift in that area of our lives. And if there is work to do, bringing greater awareness will point out exactly where and how to go about making changes.
I thought I was doing pretty well with my food and exercise. But all the extra walking I've been doing had yet to pay off. Why?
Every night after dinner, it turns out, I was treating myself to oh, 300-400 calories worth of dessert. Sorbet, dark chocolate, almond butter on rice cakes with dates. Yummy stuff. But until I realized dessert had gone from being a treat to being a given... and adjusted my food accordingly, those extra calories were keeping the few pounds on.
Records. All there in black and white, no denying what I was doing, no denying what I needed to do to change things. Tough Love.
It's much easier to tell yourself you are doing pretty well, especially compared with everyone else, and you just don't know why you're not losing. Yep.
If that's you and you are ready to get serious - get your pen out.
Want some extra help figuring it out? Get real honest, write it all down for a week and send it to me, Alicia, fulllife@earthlink.net. I'd be happy to help!
Joining the HMR at Home Program is an easy way to get structure and accountability and the record keeping forms that come with the kit are simple to use!
Posted by Monica Bautista on Fri, Jun 10, 2011 @ 11:43 PM
The weather is heating up, the days are getting longer...summer has arrived! This summer, we encourage you to think before you drink. Read on...
WORST WATER
Vitaminwater Multi-V (1 bottle, 20 oz)
125 calories
0 g fat
33 g sugars
Opt for good old-fashioned tap water or buy yourself a Brita water filter for fresh, filtered water. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice!
WORST SODA
Sunkist (1 can, 12 oz)
190 calories
0 g fat
50 g sugars
Soda is one of the greatest sources of calories in the typical American diet. With no nutritional value, it is just pure sugar in a can (or bottle). Avoid it at all costs!
WORST LEMONADE
Orange Julius Lemon Julius (medium, 20 oz)
360 calories
0 g fat
94 g sugars
Lemonade sounds harmless, right? Not this lemonade. Again, opt for water with a spritz of lemon and save over 350 calories!
WORST FROZEN COFFEE DRINK
Dairy Queen Caramel MooLatte (medium, 16 oz)
660 calories
19 g fat (15 g saturated, 0.5 g trans)
90 g sugars
If you are craving a frozen coffee drink, try Sandy's Cappucino Shake using HMR 120 Vanilla, HMR 120 Chocolate, cinnamon, and instant coffee and save over 400 calories!
WORST SMOOTHIE
Smoothie King The Activator Strawberry (32 oz)
834 calories
1.5 g fat (0 g saturated)
134 g sugars
Smoothies sound healthy but most contain too much sugar and too many calories. The best choice is to enjoy smoothies made with HMR 120 (or 70+, 800, or 500). Add fruit (fresh or frozen), extracts, and now PB2 to create hundreds of delicious and nutritious smoothies. Check our recipe page for lots of great ideas!
This summer, don't drink extra calories and add unwanted pounds. Stick with your HMR shakes and lots of water. And, be sure to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day and get plenty of exercise!
Make this your best summer ever!
Order your HMR Shakes Now.
Posted by Monica Bautista on Fri, Jun 03, 2011 @ 03:47 PM
Friday Fights are back! For those of you who remember, our Friday Fights highlight the outrageous, calorie and fat-laden foods that exist in "The Gap" (that space between our environment and healthy behaviors).
This week's special is Red Lobster's Seafood Feast, a "deal" at only $15. I have been seeing and hearing this advertisement on tv every day for the past couple of weeks so I decided to visit their website and check it out for myself. What I found did not come as a surprise to me at all given that this offer is for 4-course meal, including unlimited biscuits and dessert!
Here is what you get for $15:
Clam Chowder
Salad
Unlimited Biscuits
Shrimp & Scallops Alfredo or Spicy Coconut & Citrus Shrimp
Triple Chocolate Brownie
Here is what this $15 really costs you...in terms of your health!
(these values depend on salad and entree choice with only 2 biscuits - each additional biscuit adds another 150 calories, without butter)
2,680 - 2,920 calories
164 - 180 grams of fat
4,820 - 5,320 mg of sodium
And that is just for one meal!
A 150 pound person would have to run or do some other form of high intensity exercise for 298 minutes (almost 5 hours) to burn off this meal!
Doesn't sound like such a "deal" to me!
That's your Friday Fight...have a great weekend and look for the real deals in your produce section or, better yet, your local farmer's market!